Review: 'Hidden Summit' by Robyn Carr

6:00 PM

Fans of Robyn Carr's Virgin River books have long awaited the arrival of Hidden Summit. I'm reviewing this latest addition to the series as a Virgin River… well, virgin.

Working construction in the out-of-the-way town of Virgin River is a far cry from running a successful hardware store in Sacramento. But after witnessing a ruthless Mob-related murder, then having his store burned down in a not-so-subtle warning to keep his mouth shut, Conner Danson has no choice. Besides, he has a sister and two nephews to protect. With his little family tucked safely away on the other side of the country, Conner focuses on blending into small-town life while awaiting the killer's trial. Meanwhile, he's been cautioned against forming any romantic attachments. Considering his last romantic attachment ended in a nasty divorce, Conner has no intention of hooking up with anyone.

Then, during his first day on the job, he meets a woman he wouldn't mind building a future with.

To Leslie Petruso, Virgin River offers a different kind of sanctuary. Catching her ex-husband in an affair had been bad enough. But living in the same community with him and his new wife? Watching him spend money he supposedly didn't have, on a wife and baby he supposedly never wanted? Struggling to make him understand she has no interest in forgiving or forgetting, let alone becoming part of an extended family? Impossible. Her only choice is to start over somewhere else.

So that's what she does.

Leslie accepts a job with her former boss, who owns a construction company, and concentrates on rebuilding her life — and her self-esteem. No way she'll let herself trust again so easily. Still, she can't help but feel a certain zing whenever she's around Conner Danson. She shouldn't even like the man — not only is he not her type, he accuses her of sleeping with the boss!

And yet … there's that zing.

Conner feels it, too. But how can he even consider getting involved, when there's a very real chance there's a killer hunting him?

Virgin River seems an awfully nice place to live. I enjoyed the sense of community and how Carr demonstrates in diverse and compelling ways the residents' protectiveness toward each other.

Since Hidden Summit is the 17th book in the Virgin River series, I was concerned that I'd be overwhelmed by the introduction of recurring characters and their histories. I wasn't, though I was briefly confused by the beginning. The story opens in the point of view of a female character who's not the heroine. It didn't take long for me to realize that she's a previous heroine whose purpose is to provide background on the current hero. She gives us information we need to know, though it could have been presented in a more efficient and interesting way. That said, the cameos of other returning characters — it wasn't hard to figure out which they were — proved to be smooth and germane, and an effective enticement for catching up on Carr's earlier books.

Given the suspenseful nature of Conner's predicament, the narrative was surprisingly low-key. Not so the sexual tension — Carr knows how to build anticipation. I also enjoyed several "you go, girl" moments when Leslie one-ups her ex-husband (how she does it is a hoot), and there's a neighborhood brawl that's both thrilling and poignant. Kudos to Carr for penning an ending I never saw coming, though it did seem a tad rushed.

With Hidden Summit, Robyn Carr is sure to please current fans while recruiting an army of new ones.

Kathy Altman is a soon-to-be-published author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She's a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Washington Romance Writers (WRW) and is also active in the online Harlequin community. Her website is KathyAltman.com.

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